The invention relates to a vacuum induction melting furnace, and more particularly, to means for simultanesously and rapidly connecting or disconnecting the power and the cooling sources to and from the vacuum induction melting furnace.
Vacuum induction melting is a well-established technology for the production of the high performance alloy metlas. The vacuum induction melting assembly comprises an induction melting furnace located within a vacuum chamber and a ceramic refractory crucible. The melting is accomplished by induction furnaces such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,433,495 of P. C. Vogel, which is herein incorporated by reference. The '495 patent discloses an induction furnace which is tiltable about a trunnion that is rotatably supported on a bearing. The furnace is tiltable so that the finished product, contained in the crucible, is pourable from the furnace.
In practice, the induction melting furnace is frequently removed from the vacuum chamber to replace or repair the crucible or to exchange the induction melting furnace. Removal of the induction melting furnace in conventional vacuum induction melting assemblies requires a lengthy process because the furnace must remain in the vacuum chamber with cooling water flowing through the induction coil for an extended period of time, and because the power and cooling sources connections are manually disconnected. This conventional procedure for repair or exchange results in a significant loss of productivity caused by the required cooling time of the furnace along with the rather lengthy time normally required to manually disconnect and reconnect the induction furnace. It is desired that means be provided to allow for the rapid replacement of the crucible or for the rapid exchange of the induction melting furnace so as to reduce the attendant loss of productivity.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for the rapid disconnection and reconnection of the required power and cooling connections for a vacuum induction furnace.
It is a further object of the present invention that this rapid disconnection and reconnection be simultaneously accomplished for all of the related connections.
Further still, it is an object of the present invention to provide means, internal to the vacuum induction melting assembly, that delivers cooling to the induction coil while the external cooling connectors are disconnected.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such rapid connection and disconnection means that are adapted to accommodate a tiltable vacuum induction melting assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide convenient means for easily connecting or disconnecting an external assembly which provides for the tilting of the vacuum induction melting assembly.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide rapid connection and disconnection means that allow for the removal of the cooling sources while at the same time preventing the disconnected coolant from entering the vacuum induction melting furnace.